Blood, Sweat and Tears
by Fire The Canon
Summary: It's only a few days after the Battle at Hogwarts and those who stayed to clear the school have their work cut out for them - not to mention dealing with all of their grief in the process. Hermione, however, wonders how the centaurs are fairing. They helped in the Battle, after all, but she doubts anyone but her remembers.


_**Written for Michy (Michy Drarry Shipper) as my August gift for GGE**_

_**Written for my own 335 Pairing Bonanza (HermioneRonan)**_

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**Blood, Sweat and Tears**

There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears after the Battle at Hogwarts, and obviously, many, many things out of place. Bodies were being found in the most horrific places; _parts_ of bodies in others. People were mourning loved ones, and those who were safe were gradually returning home, away from the memories and disaster zone.

One who refused to leave the place where so many innocent lives had been lost was Hermione Granger. This battle was part of her now – it had been engraved into every part of her being from the moment she had agreed to go on the journey with Harry. She had fought, she had lost, and she had loved.

All in a day.

And now came the clean-up. The one place that had taught her everything she knew (everything that had kept her alive) was a mess. Walls had crumbled, classrooms no longer existed, and the school she had once known was no more. It was no longer home.

"Hey, you thirsty?" She was in the process of using her wand to distribute parts of the third floor into a neater pile when Ron approached her, holding a cup. Looking up from her task, she smiled at him.

"I'm fine, thank you, Ron," she said. He nodded.

"Need any help?"

"No, I'm okay." Unable to help herself, she took a step closer to where Ron stood. The boy she had once known was unrecognisable now. His face was bleak and his eyes empty. She missed that smile, that mischievous glint in him that was part of the reason she had such strong feelings towards him. She missed it all, but she also understood that it would probably be some time before she saw that again.

"How are you?" she asked, taking his free hand in hers and squeezing it gently.

Ron shrugged. "I'm okay," he said. "You?"

It was then that she realised they had barely spoken to each other in days. Smiles had been exchanged, and sympathetic looks, but hardly any words.

"I could be better," she confessed. "Ron…."

"Yes?"

She smiled at him. "Go and take a shower. You're filthy." She almost laughed, brushing a dirt smudge from the side of his face with her thumb. He flinched at her touch.

"I'm fine," he mumbled.

This time she did laugh, and it felt strange so soon. "Please, Ron?"

There must have been something in her tone, because his face softened and he nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he said. "But come and get me if you need anything, okay?"

Hermione nodded, promising him. More likely it would be him who needed her; and she'd be there, of course. She placed a kiss on his cheek and watched as he reluctantly headed for one of the in-tact bathrooms. She smiled, and returned to clearing away the rubble. It was only a moment later that something caught her eye. It wasn't big, and she almost didn't see it, but it made her curious nonetheless. Tucked away in a corner, underneath a crumbled wall, was part of a tail; a centaur's tail. She remembered that they had done their part in this war, but as soon as it was over they had been all but forgotten. No one had even bothered to go and see if they were okay, to go and check how many casualties there had been. Everyone had been too preoccupied with their own mourning to think about the creatures that lives in the Forest.

Looking back to where Ron had just vanished to, and to the others around who had also stayed to help, she made a decision. The centaurs such as Firenze and Bane had helped her on many occasions and it was only fair that she went to help them if they needed it.

With the tail fur in her hand she quietly left the third floor and headed down to the destroyed entrance hall. There, Mrs Weasley and Percy Weasley were clearing more parts of the castle with their own hands. Tear streaks were apparent on Mrs Weasley's face, but Hermione knew better than to comfort her. She needed time, not sympathy.

Percy spotted her as she left through the doors, giving her a weak smile. She returned his smile before continuing down the path she knew all too well. Despite having spent six years wandering these grounds, sneaking out to visit Hagrid, and leaving the castle to go and save Sirius, it had never felt this dark and lonely before.

She knew her way to the Forest by now, and she knew the path to reach the centaurs. Would they appreciate her being there, or would they prefer she didn't interfere? They were proud creatures, centaurs, but she at least had to see if they were okay.

The journey was long, but she eventually made it; the thick cover of trees made it seem a lot later than it actually was. It was eerily quiet when she reached the clearing in the forest, but soon a soft patter of hooves could be heard.

"Who goes here?"

"H-Hermione… Hermione Granger," she said quietly. Even after all these years the presence of the centaurs still frightened her just a little.

"Ah, the young one."

Suddenly, a head appeared from behind a tree, followed by a body. The face was expressionless, but considering he hadn't attacked her yet she assumed she was safe.

"And… and you are?" she asked.

The centaur frowned slightly, looking her over. "You do not remember my name?"

Hermione wasn't sure how to respond, but she shook her head anyway.

"I go by Ronan," he eventually said, and Hermione nodded. She knew that centaur.

"What brings you to the Forest now, Miss Granger?" Ronan then asked after a moment. "We see many battles ahead for your kind."

Hermione swallowed hard, the very mention of what had just happened still playing on her mind. All those lives lost….

"I came to see how you were doing," she said softly. "And… and to thank you for helping us during the war. You played a large part in our victory and I wasn't sure if anyone else had come to thank you yet." It sounded like something Luna Lovegood would do, thanking a centaur, but she knew it was the right thing to do. At least, she hoped.

Ronan chuckled, large eyes looking at her curiously. "Hm, no… no one has come to thank us," he confessed. "Though, we do not need thanks. For the most part centaurs and humans have shared this area peacefully. Even we were aware of the dangers the man you call Voldemort brought to both of our kinds."

Hermione nodded. "Still, thank you," she said again.

It wasn't until Ronan eyed her hand that she remembered what else she had brought with her. Opening her sweaty palm, she held out the pieces of the tail to the centaur.

"I found this," she said. "I found it in the castle. I'm unsure who it belongs to, but I thought I'd return it."

Once again, the centaur laughed. "You thought you would return it?"

Hermione blushed, but continued anyway. "Yes, I did."

Ronan was obviously amused by this gesture and he didn't hide it. "Ah, the naivety of humans," he said. "It is nothing but a part of a tail. If that is all we lost in this war we would consider ourselves lucky. Keep it, Miss Granger. We do not need it."

Hermione's cheeks deepened to a purple. "Oh," was all she said. "Well, I'm pleased to hear you're okay, and please, let us know if you need anything…." She looked uncertainly around the cleaning. "Um, send Firenze. He knows his way around." She ignored the fact that the centaur was now watching her with a very amused expression.

"Good day, Miss Granger."

It really was getting dark by the time she reached the castle grounds again. There were some shadows in the fading light that told her people were still running around to clean up, but most had turned in for the night.

"Where have you _been_?" She had barely made it through the entrance doors before being almost-tackled by Ron. His face was a lot cleaner now, and he was wearing fresh clothes, but the same worried expression remained on his face.

Hermione tucked the centaur tail into her jeans pocket, smiling up at Ron. "There was just something that I had to do," she told him.

"You were gone for ages."

"I know, I'm sorry." Hermione looked around the entrance hall. "Where is everyone?"

"Gone to eat," Ron informed her. He took her hand. "Come on, everyone was really worried."

Hermione smiled again, allowing Ron to lead her to the others. With her free hand, she patted the pocket where the tail remained. She hadn't said anything at the time, but even in the dim light of the Forbidden Forest, it had not escaped her that the colour of the tail matched that of Ronan's.

She wasn't sure she could ever thank them enough for what they had done. She wasn't even sure they'd ever actually accept her thanks even if she could. They were proud creatures, centaurs, and most of the time she felt even _she_ would never come to understand them.

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_**So, yeah, I wasn't going to wander into the bestiality romantic pairing part, so I kept it platonic with hints of Romione in there (which was unintentional). I'm actually rather pleased with how this turned out, so I hope you all enjoyed it. Especially you, Michy :)**_


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